Unit 4: The atmosphere, climate and biosphere
Activity 1: The Water Cycle
a. Read and Translate
The water cycle is the name of the continuous exchange of water that takes place
at the Earth’s surface. Let is see how it works:
1. - The water of the seas and oceans evaporates into the atmosphere with the
heat of the Sun.
2. – When the water vapor rises, it gets cold and it condenses forming clouds.
3. - The wind moves the clouds.
4. – The water, condensed, returns to the Earth in the form of precipitation (rain,
hail or snow).
5. - One part of precipitation is intercepted by vegetation and it evaporates again.
6. – The other part of precipitation reaches the ground, one part seeps into the
ground and becomes groundwater, and another part flows into the nearest river.
7. - Rivers take the water to the oceans, replacing the water that evaporates and
completing the water cycle.
WATER CYCLE SONG
Oh, the water moves in a cycle, yes it does
Oh, the water moves in a cycle, yes it does
It goes up as EVAPORATION,
Forms clouds as CONDENSATION
Comes down as PRECIPITATION, yes it does.
b. Read and answer these questions:
1. What does the water cycle consist of? Why is it so important?
I.E.S. “RODRIGO CARO”. CORIA DEL RÍO
2. Why are rivers important in the water cycle?
3. How many different kinds of precipitation do you know?
(To widen the studies and vocabulary about the water cycle and the effects of the
global warming on it, we will dedicate one lesson to work with this worksheet and another
lesson to explore the next web:
[Link] with the
computers)
Activity 2: Climate and Weather
1. Climate and Weather
a. Read and Translate
WEATHER is the specific condition of the atmosphere at a
particular place and time. It is what happens from minute to
minute, it can change hour-to-hour, day-to-day, and season-to-
season.
Weather is all around us. It is one of the first things you
notice after you wake up. If it is cold, you wear a jacket when
you go outside. If it’s hot and the sun shines, you wear shorts.
Weather is what we hear on the television news every night.
It sounds very simple, right? But, what about climate?
Are weather and climate the same thing? No, they are not.
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CLIMATE is the weather average over time and space. It describes the total of
all weathers over a period of years in a particular place. A simple way of remembering the
difference is that 'climate' is what you expect (for example a cold winter “in Spain the
winters are cold”) and 'weather' is what you get (for example a blizzard this afternoon).
Climate includes average weather conditions, weather sequences (winter, spring,
summer and autumn), and special weather events (like tornadoes and floods).
Climate tells us what it’s usually like in the place where you live. For example,
Barcelona has a mild climate; Galicia a humid and rainy climate, Norway has a snowy
climate. To study the CLIMATE of a particular place we need to measure a few elements:
wind, temperature, atmospheric pressure and precipitation.
b. Answer these questions
1. So, what is your weather like today?
2. And how do you describe the climate where you live?
3. Do you know how to measure temperature, wind, atmospheric pressure or
precipitations? Try to link the next climate elements with the instruments we use to
measure them:
TEMPERATURE BAROMETER
WIND PLUVIOMETER
PRESSURE THERMOMETER
PRECIPITATIONS ANEMOMETER
Activity 3: CLIMATE CHARTS
a. Read and Translate
What is a Climate Chart? A climate chart or climogram is a graphic
representation of the climate in a certain place. It allows an easy study of the climatic
characteristics in different areas.
How to construct a Climate Chart? To construct a climate chart we need to have
information about the two variables that we are going to represent in it: temperatures
and precipitations.
J F M A M J J A S O N D
P mm 43 53 66 55 42 18 4 4 31 49 58 57
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T ºC 6 8 10 13 16 21 24 25 21 13 10 7.5
1. First of all, we draw one horizontal axis representing the twelve months of the year.
To do so, we use the initial of each month.
2. Second, we construct two axes, one on the right for temperatures (ºC) and on the left
for precipitations (mm). Generally, the scale of precipitations is twice as much as the
scale of temperatures.
3. Third and finally, we represent the average of temperatures and the total rainfall for
each month using a line for temperatures and a column for precipitations.
4. We must title the climate chart with the name of the place we represent. We also
must indicate the geographical coordinates (latitude and longitude and the altitude.
CLIMATE CHART (Ganada, Spain)
(latitude: 37º North; longitude: 3º West; altitude: 685 m)
P mm T ºC
70 30
60 25
50
Precipitations
Temperatures
20
40
15
30
10
20
10 5
0 0
J F M A M J J A S O N D
P mm 43 53 66 55 42 18 4 4 31 49 58 57
T ºC 6 8 10 13 16 21 24 25 21 13 10 0
How do you analyse a Climate Chart? To analyse a climate chart you need to ask
yourself these questions:
a) Attending to temperatures:
- Which hemisphere is this place located? When is summer / winter?
- Which is the annual average temperature?
- Which is the hottest month? Which is the coldest month?
- What are the temperatures like, with large or small contrasts?
- Is it a hot, temperate or cold climate?
b) Attending to precipitations:
- Look at the annual average precipitation? Is it a place with abundant, medium
or scarce rainfall?
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- Does it rain the same every month of the year?
- Does it rain more in a certain period of the year?
- Is there a dry season? When is it? (The dry month are those where the
columns of precipitations are below the line of temperatures)
c) Attending to all that information:
- What kind of climate is it?
b. Look at the next charts and answer the questions:
1. - Find out the annual average temperature and the annual average precipitations of
the next places of the world.
2. - Then, explain with long sentences which are the hottest, the coldest, the driest and
the most humid months of the year.
3. – Attending to that information, try to identify each of the places with a hot climate, a
temperate climate or a cold climate.
Nº 1: SEVILLE (Spain) Seville (Spain) Lat.37ºN Long. 6ºW
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
TºC 10,3 11,6 14 16,4 19 23,4 26,3 26,4 23,7 19,2 14,6 11
Pmm 87 73 54 57 32 18 2 5 17 63 96 90
The annual average temperature in Seville is ............................
The annual average precipitations in Seville are ................................
The hottest months of the year in Seville are ........................................
The coldest months of the year in Seville are ......................................
The most humid months of the year in Seville are......................................
The driest months of the year in Seville are .............................................
I think Seville has a...............................................................................................
Nº 2: STA. CRUZ DE TENERIFE (Spain) Lat. 28ºN Lon. 16ºW
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
TºC 17,4 17,5 18,2 19,2 20,4 22,2 24,3 24,7 24 22,7 20,5 18,4
Pmm 38 34 24 15 4 1 0 0 9 18 37 52
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Nº 3: MCMURDO (Antarctica)
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
TºC -5 -9,5 -16 -22,5 -25 -25 -26 -26,5 -25,5 -20,5 -10,5 -5
Pmm 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Activity 4: VOCABULARY about THE WATER CYCLE. CLIMATE AND
WEATHER
First translate. Then, try to define it in English. If not, have a look
below.
Anemometer:
Annual average:
Atmospheric pressure:
Barometer:
Blizzard:
Climate chart/climogram:
Climate:
Cloud:
Cold zone:
Condensation:
Drought:
Evaporation:
Flood:
Forest:
Grassland:
Groundwater:
Hail:
Hot zone:
Jungle:
Lake:
Meadows:
Mild/Temperate zone:
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Pluviometer:
Precipitation:
Rain:
Rainfall:
River:
Savannah:
Sea:
Snow:
Surface:
Temperature:
Thermometer:
Tornado:
Warm:
Water cycle:
Weather:
Wind:
Anemometer: anemómetro. An instrument for recording the speed and direction of wind
Annual average: media anual. Around the middle of a scale of physical measures in a year
Atmospheric pressure: presión atmosférica. The pressure exerted by the atmosphere
the pressure exerted by the atmosphere
Barometer: barómetro. An instrument that measures atmospheric pressure
Blizzard: ventisca. A storm with snowfall and strong winds
Climate chart/climogram: climograma.
Climate: clima. The weather in some location averaged over some long period of time
Cloud: nube. A visible mass of water or ice particles suspended at a considerable altitude
Cold zone: zona fría. The part of the Earth's characterized by frigid climate
Condensation: Condensación. The process of changing from a gaseous to a liquid or
solid state
Drought: sequía. Prolonged shortage of rainfall
Evaporation: evaporación. The process of becoming a vapor
Flood: inundación. The rising of water
Forest: bosque. Land that is covered with trees
Grassland: pradera. Land where grass is the dominant form of plant life
Groundwater: agua subterránea. Water that is held in the soil and in pervious rocks
Hail: granizo. Precipitation of ice pellets
Hot zone: zona cálida. The part of the Earth's characterized by high temperatures and
prolonged rainfall
Jungle: selva. An impenetrable equatorial forest
Lake: lago. Fresh water surrounded by land
Meadows: pastos.
Mild/Temperate zone: zona templada. The part of the Earth's characterized by
temperate climate
Pluviometer: pluviómetro. An instrument for recording the rainfall
Precipitation: precipitación.
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Rain: lluvia. Water falling in drops
Rainfall: lluvias. Water falling in drops
River: río. A large natural stream of water
Savannah: sabana. A flat grassland in tropical or subtropical regions
Sea: mar. Turbulent water with swells of considerable size
Snow: nieve. Precipitation falling in the form of ice crystals
Surface: superficie.
Temperature: temperatura. The degree of hotness or coldness of a environment
Thermometer: termómetro. Instrument for measuring temperature
Tornado: tornado. A localized and violently destructive windstorm
Transpiration: transpiración. The emission of water vapor from the leaves of plants
Warm: cálido. Having a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat
Water cycle: ciclo del agua. The movements of the water from the Earth to the
Atmosphere and from the Atmosphere to the Earth
Weather map: mapa del tiempo. A meteorological conditions´map
Weather: tiempo atmosférico. The meteorological conditions
Wind: viento. Air moving from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
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